KI vs. Borac Banja Luka (Thursday, 6.00pm)
© Imago
KI Klaksvik will be looking to edge closer to another season of continental football when they play host to Borac Banja Luka in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday.
Both of these teams have dropped into this competition having lost in the Champions League second qualifying round.
We say: KI Klaksvik 2-1 Borac Banja Luka
With both teams having given valiant efforts in the Champions League, this will be a game between two teams who have full belief that they can go further in the competition. For us, though, we are giving the edge to KI, who have the experience of their exploits from 2023-24 in their favour.
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Trabzonspor vs. Rapid Vienna (Thursday, 6.00pm)
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Turkish outfit Trabzonspor welcome Austrian side Rapid Vienna to Papara Park for the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday evening.
Both teams will meet for the very first time and are vying to advance to the main stage of the newly-expanded 2024-25 Europa League.
We say: Trabzonspor 2-1 Rapid Vienna
Trabzonspor cannot take Rapid Vienna lightly considering their strong start to the new campaign, but the Turks will still be regarded as favourites for Thursday's contest and should do enough to take a slender advantage into next week's second leg.
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Molde vs. Cercle Brugge (Thursday, 6.00pm)
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Norwegian club Molde welcome Belgian outfit Cercle Brugge to the Aker Stadion for the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday evening.
The two teams meet for the very first time and are bidding to advance to the main stage of the newly-expanded 2024-25 Europa League.
We say: Molde 1-1 Cercle Brugge
Both teams enter Thursday's contest having edged themselves into the third qualifying round amidst struggling on the domestic front.
Taking into account the fact that both sides are not quite firing on all cylinders, a cagey first-leg draw could be on the cards which would keep the tie nicely poised ahead of next week's second leg.
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Kryvbas Kryvyi vs. Plzen (Thursday, 7.00pm)
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Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih host Viktoria Plzen at the Kosicka futbalova arena on Thursday as the two teams matchup in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie.
The hosts are competing in the Europa League for the first time in their history, while the visitors are aiming to qualify for European competition in successive seasons.
We say: Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih 1-3 Viktoria Plzen
The visitors have much more experience competing in Europe than their hosts and have started the season in a positive manner, while the visitors are likely to be nervous ahead of their European debut, suggesting Plzen will win this one.
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Partizan vs. Lugano (Thursday, 7.00pm)
![FC Lugano coach Mattia Croci Torti gestures during his side's game against FC Basel on July 27, 2024 [on August 6, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/32/mattia-croci-torti_1.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "FC Lugano coach Mattia Croci Torti gestures during his side's game against FC Basel on July 27, 2024 [on August 6, 2024]")
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In the first leg of the third Europa League qualifying round, Partizan are set to host Lugano at Stadion Partizana on Thursday.
The home side are first in Serbia's top flight with nine points after three matchweeks, as are the Swiss visitors, who are also top of their league with nine points after three games.
We say: Partizan 1-2 Lugano
While Lugano's elimination from the Champions League qualifiers will have been disappointing to fans, they did perform well against Fenerbahce, and could cause problems for Partizan's defence.
Additionally, the hosts' aggregate 9-2 defeat against Dynamo Kyiv highlighted many defensive vulnerabilities in the team which could be exploited on Thursday.
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UE Santa Coloma vs. RFS (Thursday, 7.00pm)
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UE Santa Coloma will take on Rigas Futbola Skola at the Estadi Nacional on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round matchup.
The hosts dropped into the Europa League after a 4-0 aggregate loss to FC Midtjylland in the second qualifying round for the Champions League, while the visitors lost 7-1 to Bodo/Glimt in their tie.
We say: UE Santa Coloma 0-2 Rigas Futbola Skola
The visitors hold the benefit of being midway through their league season, leaving their players much more match-fit, and they will have plenty of confidence after a 5-1 win last time out, leading us to believe RFS will win here.
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Rijeka vs. Elfsborg (Thursday, 7.00pm)
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HNK Rijeka are set to host Elfsborg at the Stadion HNK Rijeka on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round matchup.
The hosts narrowly defeated FC Corvinul Hunedoara in the last round, while the visitors have comfortably beaten Pafos FC and Sheriff Tiraspol to make it to this stage.
We say: HNK Rijeka 1-1 Elfsborg
Elfsborg may have struggled away from home this season, but they have secured three consecutive away wins in their most recent outings. Meanwhile, the hosts are still finding their rhythm after their season started in recent weeks, suggesting this match will end in a draw.
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Panathinaikos vs. Ajax (Thursday, 7.00pm)
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Reprising a rivalry that began in the 1971 European Cup final, Panathinaikos and Ajax kick off their Europa League third-round qualifier on Thursday.
After both teams safely made it through the second round, the Greek giants host the first leg in Athens, with a playoff place against either Bodo/Glimt or Jagiellonia Bialystok ultimately at stake.
We say: Panathinaikos 1-1 Ajax
It is fair to say that neither club is the force they were during the 1990s, or at other successful stages during their illustrious history, but this still represents a heavyweight clash in Europa League qualifying.
A close-fought first leg should see the spoils shared in Athens, leaving Ajax slight favourites to prevail after next week's return.
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Celje vs. Shamrock (Thursday, 7.15pm)
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Slovenian champions Celje welcome Irish outfit Shamrock Rovers to Arena Petrol for the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday evening.
The two teams meet for the very first time and are seeking to progress to the main stage of the newly-expanded 2024-25 Europa League.
We say: Celje 1-1 Shamrock Rovers
With both teams keen to remain in the tie heading into next week's second leg, a tight affair could be played out on Thursday. Celje have suffered a dip in form in recent weeks, but they may do just enough to claim a share of the spoils against a Shamrock Rovers outfit who have won just two of their last 10 away games in all competitions.
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Dinamo Minsk vs. Lincoln (Thursday, 7.45pm)
![Fedor Lapoukhov of Dinamo Minsk in action during UEFA Conference League First qualifying round, 1st leg match between FK Zeljeznicar and Dinamo Minsk at Grbavica Stadium on July 13, 2023. [on August 6, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/32/fedor-lapoukhov.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Fedor Lapoukhov of Dinamo Minsk in action during UEFA Conference League First qualifying round, 1st leg match between FK Zeljeznicar and Dinamo Minsk at Grbavica Stadium on July 13, 2023. [on August 6, 2024]")
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In the first leg of the third Europa League qualifying round, Dinamo Minsk are set to host Lincoln Red Imps at Varosi Stadion on Thursday.
The home side are second in Belarus' top flight with 35 points after 15 games, while the visitors finished first in their championship playoff group with 65 points in Gibraltar's top flight.
We say: Dinamo Minsk 2-0 Lincoln Red Imps
Although Minsk did concede numerous shots when they were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers, they should still come into Thursday's clash as favourites given they were at least competitive against Ludogorets.
On the other hand, Lincoln rarely do well in European competitions, and it would be a surprise to see them avoid defeat.
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Braga vs. Servette (Thursday, 8.30pm)
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Portuguese club Braga welcome Swiss outfit Servette to Estadio Municipal de Braga for the for the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on Thursday evening.
While the victors of this two-legged contest will advance to the newly-expanded 2024-25 Europa League, the losers will face Chelsea in the Europa Conference League playoff round.
We say: Braga 2-0 Servette
Servette cannot be taken lightly by Braga, but the Portuguese side will be considered as favourites to come out on top in Thursday's contest and should have few problems claiming a routine victory on home soil to give themselves an advantage heading into next week's second leg.
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Oliver Thomas
